The Nowhere Child
by BlooTea
Summary: Five years after the Dark War, a pint-sized stranger appears seemingly out of nowhere with the indication that she is the future daughter of Clary and Jace. Her arrival alone is baffling, but the news she bares of an upcoming war flips the Shadow World upside down. Now, the Angel's children must put a stop to the second Endarkened war before it even has a chance to rise.
1. Haven

**So this story has been re-written three times. I know! I'm sorry guys please put down your seraph blades! Joking, that's cringey. Anyway, to make up for it I've given you the first four chapters all at once. You can't skip them just because you've rea the other versions of this story because I've written the plot slightly different so it will not make sense if you skip. :) IM SO SORRY! I hope you can forgive me.**

 **Love you guys!**

 **Remember to review!**

 **Summary: Five years have passed since the rise and fall of the Dark War and and the dust has finally settled. But when a pint-sized stranger appears seemingly out of nowhere with the baffling indication that she is the daughter of Jace Herondale and Clary Fairchild who originates from four years into the future, another curveball is thrown into the two young Shadowhunters' lives. However, what is even more unsettling for the Nephilim Community is the news the little girl bares of an upcoming war. It seems that they are not as safe as they thought...**

 **Any questions or confusion then please don't hesitate to inbox me or leave it in a comment.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own The Mortal Instruments, or the Shadowhunters series.**

 **Post City Of Heavenly Fire Compliant. Set before Clary and Jace took over the institute from Robert and Maryse. Meliorn is also alive and wasn't killed by Sebastian.**

 **Chapter Song: Please Don't Go—Barcelona**

 **Now without further adieu, I present you the 'The Nowhere Child'.**

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 **The Nowhere Child**

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Chapter One: Haven.

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2016 (four years into the future)

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The streets of Alicante had more or less been reduced to rubble. The sky above had been turned a sickening color, like a purpling bruise, and smoke permeated the barely breathable air. Not a soul was to be seen until a flash of red hair appeared under the dying light of the only standing streetlights. Twenty-four-year-old Clarissa Herondale grunted as she was expelled from the portal, landing ungraciously on her feet. Her head whipped around in paranoia before starting down the street, occasionally tripping over the slabs of concrete and broken glass in a frantic dash for Herondale Manor.

Clinging to fistfuls of Clary's oversized jacket was a small child, no younger than three, her hair was the same vibrant color as her Clary's and it hung loosely on her shoulders in greasy tangles. The little girl was looking over Clary's shoulder, her eyes fixated on the demon towers in the distance as they lit up their red and gold battle colors. The toddler's hiccuping sobs were drowned out by the shrill war sirens that were beginning to hurt her little ears.

A loud rumble, like an earthquake caused Clary to whirl around just in time to witness the demon towers crumple to the ground in a cloud of debris. The sirens stopped too, leaving the frightened mother and child in an eerie silence. The little girl's cries were louder now, along with Clary's hyperventilating. Her eyes widened in terror as she pressed her daughter's head protectively to her chest. She swallowed thickly, tearing her eyes away from the empty space where the towers used to stand and turning on her heel to break into a sprint, mumbling a string of expletives despite the little girl's presence.

Finally, when Herondale manor came into view Clary felt a sentimental ache in her heart. Although it wasn't her permanent home like the house she owned in New York, it automatically became her home whenever she'd come to Idris on Shadowhunting business, her daughter had even taken her first steps here. To see it barely even standing with the roof partially blown off filled her with even more hate for Lilith and what she had done.

"Mommy I 'fraid." The little girl whimpered, pathetically.

"Shhh Emy,"Clary breathed, approaching the front entrance quickly. "You won't be scared for much longer, I promise you."

Clary didn't waste time fumbling with keys, instead she applied a quick rune to the door and had three seconds to drop to her knees and shield both hers and her daughter's faces from the splinters of wood that flew every which way. She grimaced in pain as she found her feet again and entered the manor, trying to ignore the dizzying waves that were crashing over her.

The overwhelming scent of blood, ichor and smoke was enough to make the both of them gag. Clary's heart clenched when they came to walk through into the kitchen entrance. The manor was trashed, to say it didn't look homely anymore would be an understatement. Tables and chairs had been smashed and upturned, antique plates from the cabinets were lying on the floor in bits. Clary blew out a breath and set the little girl on her feet before leaning her weakened body on the kitchen counter tops.

The child shivered, "I feel cold, mommy."

Clary didn't hesitate to shrug the leather jacket off her shoulders, intending to give it to the toddler to stay warm. Unable to resist, she brought the jacket to her nose and wallowed in its scent for the last time. Beneath the stench of war was the scent of soap and sunshine that was so undeniably Jace. She stifled a sob within the fabric, holding her breath. If she, as a twenty-four-year-old adult couldn't be strong, how could she expect her three-year-old to be strong too?

"Come here baby." Clary told the little girl, the child toddled over and Clary draped the jacket over her pint-sized shoulders, it fit the girl like a dress.

"Thas blood mommy!" She gasped, scowling down at her petite little hands which were covered in Clary's blood. Clary glanced down at her abdomen and grimaced at the sight of her blood mixed with stinging venom that seeped relentlessly through her filthy tank top. She quickly snatched the cotton scarf from around her neck and tied it around her waist to slow the blood flow and also to make sure that her daughter didn't have to look at it.

"I'll be all right." Clary assured her child, feebly. She kneeled to her daughter's level, trying not to show the pain she was feeling in her side.

"They comin' for us, mommy?" Asked the toddler, innocently.

"Yes, sweetie. But they won't get to us, I promise." Clary kisses the top of the girl's head, closing her eyes and letting her lips linger for a moment before pulling away. Clary's heart hurt for her. Emy had been born in the middle of a war, had taken her first steps in the midst of a second Endarkened outbreak. She hadn't know anything different, and the fact that being constantly on the run the norm for Emy cut deeper than any blade for Clary.

Since Jace's untimely demise, their little girl had also started asking questions that Clary just could not bear to answer. How was she supposed to tell a a three-year-old that she was never going to see her dad again?

The truth was, she wasn't. Because Clary was going to make sure that her daughter saw Jace again at whatever cost it may be. Here was no place for a child and she'd been putting this off for far too long. Clary even felt selfish for not doing this sooner, all the grief and confusion she could've saved her daughter if she'd have just bucked up much sooner, before the little girl had to witness her own father's murder...

And now she was thinking about it again. The way he'd looked at her before he'd fallen face first into the dirt, an arrow protruding from his back. A sound she'd had no idea she was capable of making ripped through her throat and Clary had just enough time to charge back, snatch her daughter from under her husband's limp body and take one last agonizing look at where Jace was lying before jumping through a portal after Isabelle, Alec, Magnus and Max. Completely broken.

Clary swallowed down the bile burning at the back of her tongue, she hadn't the time to dwell. She rose to her feet with a pained whimper and stumbled her way across the room, the pain in her side increasing by the minute. She wished she'd better prepared herself for this day, but she didn't want to believe that this war was a war that could not be won. Perhaps she'd been naive, but Clary really did have some hope in her heart that Lilith could be taken down like she'd been in 2007 during the much milder Dark War.

Looking around speedily for something of use to accompany Emy on her journey, she grabbed the first thing she laid eyes on, a photo album. It was a little too bulky for her three-year-old to carry so she rummaged through drawers in search of some scrap paper that she could seal it within. Upon finding some, Clary bound the object into a drawing—something she'd had a lot of practice doing over the years—before folding the paper into a thin tube and heading back over to where Emy stood, bemused.

Clary's head was spinning now and her vision was becoming unclear. This time when she went to kneel before her child, her legs buckled beneath her and she thumped to her knees. Solemnly, she took her daughter's cold hands in her own as the wind whistled through the missing high-roof. Clary looked into Emy's eyes, seriously.

Those eyes, just like her father's.

"You're a brave girl, right?" Clary encouraged.

The little girl nodded gingerly, sensing the oddness in her mother's voice.

"Right. I need you to be the bravest you can be right now, do you think you can do that for me?" She was breathless now.

The little girl nodded again, intimidated by Clary's unfamiliar tone.

"It's okay, everything is going be okay now. You're going home." She shoved the tube of paper containing the photo album and a few other things into the jacket pocket and zipped it up tight. "You have to promise me that you'll go through the magic portal okay? Don't you dare resist, do you hear me?"

The toddler's lip began to quiver at the harshness in her mom's voice and Clary's face fell, choking back a sob." Oh God," she sighed, her irritated eyes filling with tears. She pulled Emy into a tight hug and muttered her apologies into her shoulder before pushing her gently away to look into her eyes which were also red from the smoke, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to scare you, I just want you to get home safely that's all."

"You comin' too, mommy?" Emy whimpered, hopefully.

Clary shook her head regretfully, "You'll enter the portal alone, but someone will be there when you get there. I can't say who it'll be, it could be me or it could be someone else, either way, the nasty Shadowhunters can't hurt you." Her tone was softer now, it might have been from her increasing exhaustion or her cautiousness to not upset her daughter further.

"I not brave, I wan' you to come!" Emy whined anxiously, stomping her foot and rucking up a cloud of debris.

"There's no time to—"

An inhuman hiss echoed in the distance, Clary hauled herself to her feet in an instant, battling the dizzying wave as she rushed to the window above the sink. Clary yanked the shutters closed and pulled out her stele from her weapons belt.

She could see the rune clearly as she closed her eyes and poured every ounce of energy she could muster into the overly practiced rune. If she did not get this right, she and her daughter would be killed.

Two minutes of pure concentration later, a small portal opening pulsed in mid-air until it formed a gaping purple void, its ear-splitting hum drowning out the pleading protests of the little girl. Clary kneeled once again, heaving out shallow breaths as the hum of the portal dizzied her further and the blood continued to pump out of her gash. With a shaking hand, she cupped her daughter's tearstained cheek.

"Peas' mommy, I don' wanna go, peas!" Emy begged, through hiccuping sobs. Her face had turned tomato red with desperation.

Ignoring her heartbreak, Clary focused on the child's eyes, she loved those Herondale eyes so much and she wanted it be the last thing she saw. The gruesome sound of the Endarkeneds' sniffer demons were increasing now. Everything boiled down to this. It was time.

Her hand slipped from Emelie's face, leaving a partial bloodied handprint on her cheek. Without another word, she shoved the little girl backwards as hard as she could. Emelie was taken completely by surprise as she stumbled.

"I love you, Emelie!" Clary shouted.

The group of Endarkened warriors swarmed through the doorway and burst through the windows. Emelie's eyes widened in terror as her mother's screams tore through the air. The little girl's mouth flew open to emit a shriek of her own only for her breath catch in her throat, forcing her to be silent as the portal sucked her in and swirled shut.

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Review please.


	2. Stranger

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 **The Nowhere Child**

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Chapter One: Haven.

Chapter Song: Run—Leona Lewis

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2012 (present day)

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 _The scream, like nails against rusted metal echoed through the streets of Alphabet City, prompting Jace Herondale to freeze in his tracks and look up from his phone, his light eyebrows knitting together with concern. He ripped out his earphones and started quicker down the street, barging past the oblivious mundanes in search of the scream's origin._

 _There it was again, a woman's cry, closer this time. Jace turned on his heel, realizing that he'd walked past it and stopped at an entrance to a winding back alleyway. As the shrill voice continued to shriek, Jace charged down the alleyway's entrance and followed the sound, sprinting down the back of scruffy houses infested with mould and rucking up splashes of rainwater with his heavy combat boots that were laced up to his ankle._

 _Jace stopped running, skidding to a halt as his eyes widened over the sight before him. A woman in a peculiar red cloak held a white bundle in her arms and stood meters away where the alley met a dead end._

 _"Ma'am," Jace began softly, deciding to approach the distraught woman. She was choking out unclear words that he couldn't quite catch, "Ma'am, are you all right?" He asked with concern._

 _Jace was now close enough to get a better look at what the hooded woman with the eerily angular cheekbones had in her arms. For a moment, Jace saw a simple white blanket until he eventually became aware of the tiny pink feet poking out at the hem and the fresh face of a newborn baby at the top._

 _He didn't need to look at the infant's purpled lips to know the child was dead._

 _With a sorrowful expression, Jace moved closer the still screaming woman when she suddenly reached out and grabbed a fistful of his shirt, taking him completely off guard. And he heard her inhuman voice, strained and shrill rattling his eardrums._

 _"She is coming."_

Jace bolted upright in a frantic sweat, only to be met with the safe surroundings of his dim bedroom. It was still dark outside, prompting him to glance at the clock atop his desk.

2:49 it read

Blowing out a breath, he turned toward the sleeping redhead that was his girlfriend of five years. They'd both fallen asleep on top of the covers, Jace had been reading a book which had fallen out of his hand and onto the floor at some point and Clary had been sketching. The pad was still laying on her knees, Jace took it and smiled at the detailed pencil drawing of himself immersed in his book. He set the pad aside and gave Clary an appreciative kiss on the side of her head before tugging on her legs to move her into a more comfortable position.

"Jace?" She moaned, groggily.

"Sorry," he winced, "I didn't mean to wake you, you just didn't look particularly comfy."

"Ugh, why are you awake anyway?"Clary sat up clumsily and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him to the mattress, she ghosted a tired kiss to his hair and yawned.

"I had a dream." Jace responded, hesitantly.

Clary's eyes instantly peeled open, drowsiness long forgotten. "About?"

"About..." Jace sighed, "it was nothing."

"Really? Because your greenness tells me otherwise." She told him, propping her head on her hand and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

"I am not green."

"You're greener than Shrek, Jace. Now spill." Clary said, nudging him encouragingly.

"What's a Shrek?"

"Stop avoiding the question! Tell me what you dreamt."

"Fine," Jace gave in, sitting up to rest his elbows upon his knees, "I was in Alphabet City when I heard screaming, I followed the sound through an alleyway and saw a woman in a weird red cloak crying over something. When I looked closer, I saw that she had a baby in her arms. But its lips had turned blue and it was...it was obviously dead. I got closer to the woman and she grabbed me and screamed at me, she said 'she was coming'."

"Who was coming?"

He shrugged, "it was just dream."

"Jace, just in case you're forgetting, you haven't had a dream as detailed as that since you're ressurection and you're telling me it's nothing? It kind of reminded me of that church, the church of Talto." Clary was sitting up too now, shuddering at the memory of those lifeless infants with talons for hands.

"Well maybe that's what inspired it." Jace suggested. It was a possibility, a possibility that he hoped was true but after the Dark War five years ago, he couldn't help but have second thoughts at the back of his mind.

"Jace—

"Please Clary, can we just not talk about it. I shouldn't have told you." Jace said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"All right, I'm sorry. But will you at least admit that it was something?"

"Fine, it was a little unsettling." Jace admitted.

"I think we should talk to a Silent Brother to be on the safe—"

Jace cut her off by kissing her lips, and she soon melted into it. Their lips moved together slowly before Jace broke it, placing his forehead against hers. "And we will, later. But what can we do right now at three o'clock in the morning?"

She nodded through a sigh, "I guess you're right."

Jace pecked her lips before peppering kisses along her jawline and then moving to suck at her pulse point, Clary's breath hitched at the sensation. He was sliding his tongue along her collarbone when her tummy began to rumble like a charging herd of hippos. She started to laugh, "you wanna get breakfast?"

"It's three in the morning, Clary." He mumbled against her skin.

"So what? I'm starving, and it's your fault since you woke me up." She poked his chest.

"Fine," he sighed, "let's go."

They applied silencing runes to their skin as they exited their bedroom hand in hand and walked down many a corridor to the kitchen of the institute, a surprisingly modern room consisting of black and white marble with an island table and high bar stools.

"Bon appetite." Jace smiled, as he later set a bowl of Lucky Charms down in front of Clary and taking a seat opposite her.

"Yum, what better way to start the morning than with a nice bowl of pure sugar?" She remarked, gathering some of the marshmallow cereal onto her spoon.

Whoosh

Clary and Jace jumped.

The sudden sound was followed by a loud thud coming from somewhere within the institute, Clary and Jace exchanged puzzled glances. Next came a cry, a weak muffled cry.

"You heard that too, right?" Jace checked.

Clary answered with a nod and Jace motioned for her to stay behind him. As they followed the racket with caution, they stopped at the entrance to the Institute's library. "Someone's using a portal." Jace realised, instantly recognising the sound now that he was close to it, "get behind me Clary."

"This early?" Clary questioned with suspicion, "and why would someone portal the library out of all the places?"

"They wouldn't. And this whole place is warded so that it would take immensely strong runes to break them, most likely demonic which is why you need to get behind me."

"I'm not a child, Jace." Clary grumbled, defiantly.

"I know you're not, but I'm the only one here with a weapon." He showed her the spare seraph blade. There was a seraph blade in the institute's every room just in case of an infiltration. Clary saw his point and hesitantly stayed put behind him. Jace blew out a breath of preparation, his eyes darkening, battle ready.

But when the heavy antiquated doors swung open with a loud creak, there wasn't a hoarde of ravener demons with hungry pincers waiting for them nor a growling group of shax demons with intentions of ripping out throats. No. What sat in the middle of the room was a small and feeble form hunched over and trembling. A little girl, around Max's age. She had bright red hair which wasn't unlike Clary's, except hers was greasy and unkempt, her sweet little face covered in dirt and blood. The poor child looked traumatised. Jace and Clary could only stare in disbelief until the toddler noticed them standing in the doorway, her eyes seemed to fill with hope. And for whatever reason it gave both of them a strange feeling in their guts, for whatever reason, Clary and Jace recognised this child that they had never seen before.

"Mommy!" Cried the girl, her lip quivering as she clambered to her feet and charged toward them as fast as her battered converse shoes could take her, "daddy!"

It wasn't until the child had flung herself into a stunned Jace's arms that he noticed she was wearing a familiar jacket, it was so large on her that it almost swallowed her up and even though it was in tatters Jace knew the leather jacket belonged to him.


	3. Discovery

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 **The Nowhere Child**

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Chapter Three: Stranger

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"So let me get this into my head. This little girl just turned up here, broke the portal wards and there's no sign of her parents?"

Clary—still unable to shake that sense of familiarity—nodded at Isabelle, shifting under the light weight of the skinny toddler who sat with her in the Institute's living area wrapped in a blanket, arms clamped tightly around Clary's neck. Her crying had faded to whimpers now and Clary was a little afraid that she was going to fall asleep on her.

"We don't understand it either. Those wards were unbreakable." Jace said, in deep thought.

"Clearly not." Isabelle said. The child's wailing had woken her prompting her to draw silencing runes on her parents' door so they wouldn't be disturbed too. She sat beside Clary and the toddler before reaching out to tap the little girl on the back and speaking to her in a soft but drowsy tone. "Hey little one, you haven't fallen asleep on us have you?"

The girl moved her head off of Clary's shoulder and met Isabelle's gaze. A sudden sense of familiarity went through the Lightwood girl now that she was seeing the child's face, under all the dirt and blood—that thankfully was not her own under closer inspection— was a face that seemed unnervingly familiar to Isabelle. It made her stomach flutter. "Can you tell us your name, sweetheart?" She asked, her thoughts wandering. She wondered if Clary and Jace felt it too.

"Emy." She sniffled, rubbing at her eyes.

Izzy smiled warmly. "That's a really pretty name. But you have an even bigger name than that, is that right?"

"Emelie." She confirmed with a weak nod.

"Yes, but what about your other name?" Jace chimed in, as gentle as he could. "Emelie...what?"

The toddler looked at Jace as if he'd grown two heads. "Emelie." She told him.

"That's helpful," Jace sighed sarcastically. Clary and Isabelle both shot scowls his way.

"What about your Mommy's name, Emy?" Clary asked, the toddler looked at her the same way she had Jace.

"Mommy," Emelie said. She let out a whine and a yawn before placing her head back on Clary's shoulder, "I'nna eat now, I so hungry."

"Oh, uhm, we'll get you some food soon." Clary said, awkwardly. It was no wonder the child was hungry, she felt lighter than a feather in Clary's arms and looked as though she hadn't eaten a decent meal in weeks. Perhaps her mother had neglected her and sent her off here because she didn't want her anymore. It'd happened before, to Alec and Magnus's adopted son.

Taking pity on her, Clary began to rub circles on the child's back. It was then that the blanket rode down and she caught sight of the small tag in the back of Emelie's filthy shirt. Her heart skipped a beat upon reading the name. "Guys," she said with uncertainty, "this tag in her shirt says her name is Emelie Herondale."

"What?" Jace asked almost instantly. He moved to take a look for himself and his face turned the color of old porridge.

"You're the only living Herondale, Jace..." Clary whispered, the cogs in her head beginning to turn.

"By the angel," Isabelle muttered, her thoughts had rung true, "I thought I recognized those eyes."

No, that was impossible. Jace thought.

"Emelie," he plucked the child off Clary's lap and set her on her feet, kneeling to her level. "Where were you before you got here?" He asked her seriously. And he could see it now, he could see himself within the child's face. Still, he didn't want to believe it.

"He'uh." She pointed to the floor.

"No no, before you got here," Jace pressed, becoming more and more frustrated from the lack of helpful answers. "What were you and your mom doing? Is this her blood that's on you?"

Emelie nodded, pouting.

"How did she get hurt?"

The child furrowed her brow, a little uneasy. Izzy scolded Jace for it. "She can barely even pronounce words. Don't overwhelm her."

"Sorry Iz, but some woman is most likely bleeding to death out there as we speak!" He retorted.

"Look at her, Jace. Have you ever seen hair as bright as Emelie's on anyone other than Clary? What about her eyes, have you looked at her eyes? She's yours, how it's possible is anyone's guess but I think it's pretty obvious."

Jace glanced at the stunned silent Clary and sighed, It should have clicked moments ago, the kid had called him 'daddy' but he'd thought she must've been confused. How was this even possible in the first place? This was so unreal to Jace. He had to know how on earth a daughter of his had just bolted from the blue.

"I know." He said, and looked back at Emelie. He swallowed thickly. "Emelie, where were you and Clar—your mom, sorry, What were you doing?

"Running," Emelie replied.

"And what exactly were you running from?" Isabelle added. She'd convinced herself that it must not have been a human that had caused such a large amount of blood.

"Bad Shadowhunt'uhs."

"The Endarkened?" Clary had found her voice.

"Not possible," insisted Izzy, too afraid to think otherwise. "The Endarkened have been extinct for five years. Tell us Emelie, where were you before you were here with us?"

"At home at Idris." She responded and crawled back onto Clary's lap, prompting her to tense. She wasn't used to small children, or having her own for that matter. "You member Mommy? You blooded everyplace."

"Wait..." Izzy said, her eyes finding what Jace had tucked under his arm. "Is that the jacket she was wearing?"

Jace nodded.

"Then check the pockets, there has to be some kind of clue..." She encouraged.

Jace brought the jacket out from under his arm, his shirt and fingers were covered in the blood now. He ignored it though and rummaged through the first pocket. There he found a rolled up piece of paper. He gave it a thorough inspection. "It's a drawing...of a book. Your signature is in the corner of the page, Clary."

He handed it over for Clary to see before going to the other pocket. From it, he pulled out a newspaper clipping. A rather baffling one at that. He read it aloud. Halfway through the printed text Jace felt a chill shoot down his spine. And it wasn't a good kind of chill.

 **Greatest tragedy in Shadow World history.**

 **Alas, the Shadow World grieves with us as the gravity of yesterday's attack sets upon us all. Yesterday, April 19th, 2016 at 1:30 AM devastating news reached all standing institutes that Alicante, the capital city of Idris was invaded by the returned Endarkened, taking the lives of thousands and adding to its army. As our numbers pale, we hope for justice, an end to this war, but after such a blow, will any Shadowhunter muster the strength to wake to another day?**

 **Report by Malcolm Fade, High Warlock of Los Angeles.**

"Time travel." Clary said, her heart speeding up over what she'd just heard. "it's the only explanation."


	4. Answers

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 **The Nowhere Child**

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Chapter Four: Answers

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Isabelle later excused herself from their investigation to make little Emelie a sandwich. She was in need of a good wash too but the poor thing could barely keep her eyes open to even eat the sandwich let alone find the strength to get in the bathtub. Isabelle was frightened that she was going to fall off the chair at one point and resorted to hold her bony shoulders steady. After Emelie was finished eating, Isabelle lent the child her brother's old room to crash in. Emelie requested Clary to stay with her until she fell asleep, and despite her discomfort she couldn't say no to her shaken daughter.

Daughter.

She hadn't the slightest clue of how she was going to tell her mom and Luke about all this, thank goodness they were still on vacation. Clary wondered how they'd react.

As she helped Emelie change into some of Isabelle's faded old pyjamas patterned with ballet shoes, she winced at just how underweight Emelie looked while she was getting her undressed. The toddler's ribs were visible under porcelain skin brushed with barely there freckles. Her shoulder blades protruded outward and her knees were knobbly. It gave Clary a horrifying insight into how her living conditions must've been.

Emelie's eyes fluttered closed the moment her head touched the pillow and her breathing evened out instantly into light snoozing.

Clary didn't move from her place on the edge of the bed though, she simply could not tear her eyes away from the sleeping one. She'd wiped away most of the blood from Emelie's skin but the child had grown tired of standing so traces of it still remained. However it did not obscure her beauty, and Clary didn't think that just because this girl was her daughter. No. It was because Emelie really did have a beautiful face, prompting Clary to wonder how much angel blood she'd inherited. Since both Clary and Jace had extra of the angel's blood she suspected Emelie must have a lot of it running through her veins. It was unbelievable, she couldn't get over how much of a mix she was between she and Jace. As Clary watched her chest rise and fall, she knew that she would not be sleeping as soundly as Emelie tonight, for more reasons than one.

After a good few minutes, Clary rose and pulled the sheets further up Emelie's crashed out form. She supposed this was the part where she should kiss her goodnight, so she did, lightly and briefly upon her forehead. It gave Clary an unusual feeling that she couldn't quite figure out. She turned off the lamp on the bedside table and crossed the room to the door, she looked on Emelie's face for a few more seconds before leaving the door ajar so that some light streamed in from the hallway. That's how Clary had liked it when she was little. She left Alec's old bedroom and returned to the living room where Izzy and Jace were seated on the couch trying to stay calm, and the anxious feeling returned to her again. Clary took a seat on the rug before them.

"I can't think!" Jace said as he read over the newspaper clipping again, "how does this happen? The Endarkened no longer exist, Lilith is in the void. Unless...unless she was somehow able to reform faster than usual which means someone could've helped her, but who would want to do that? You'd need to be as evil as Sebastian to want to start another war."

"Look, there's no use brooding over this." Clary told them, "we have got to remember that all of that happened four years into the future, what can we do about it right now? This early in the morning?"

"Clary's right, Jace." Isabelle said, gently yet with worry in her tone. "What I think we need to do first is talk to Magnus about this. He has to know more about this time-travel drama than us. We also need to talk to mom and dad about this."

"But then the clave will know. What if they take her away, Isabelle? She's been through enough already." Clary said, unsure of where her sudden protectiveness came from.

"They're gonna ask questions anyway when they come down here and see her." Isabelle said, "besides, the clave has to know. We'll be sent to prison or even stripped of our runes and exiled if we keep this kind of information to ourselves."

Isabelle had a point, Clary realised.

"I don't think they'll take a clearly traumatised little girl away from a place she feels comfortable in either, Robert will see to that." Jace told her, she gave him a small smile and he managed one back despite his stress.

"Well all right then, I'm gonna take a nap for a few hours and try to get my head around all of this...if that's even possible. We'll head to Magnus's at eight, be sure to wake me up if I'm not up by then."

With that, Isabelle sauntered back to bed in her purple silk robe. Leaving Clary and Jace in each other's company.

"Jeez," Jace breathed as he folded up the newspaper clipping, "we have a kid, Clary."

"I know," she said, "we're screwed."

"I know." Jace responded, leaning back on his arms. "Should we finish those Lucky Charms? We're gonna need a hell of a lot of fuel to get through this day, and possibly the foreseeable."

Clary had long forgotten about the cereal they'd poured before Emelie showed up. Jace rose to his feet and offered her his hand, she took it and he pulled her up after him. "I'm gonna need much more than pure sugar to even be able to think properly today after all that's gone on—actually, scratch that—it'll be molten sugar now."

"Fine, you can have boring old Cheerios then."

After finishing their breakfast, Clary and Jace decided to take to the training room. A good fight was sure to clear their heads. They finished an hour or so later and showered together. Clary was brushing through her damp hair when Emelie suddenly began to scream and cry. Clary was in Alec's room before she even had the chance to think. Jace followed a nervously and unsure of what to do as Clary perched on Emelie's bed and set a hand on her cheek awkwardly, this was all so new to her. Emelie's face was flushed red with tears, although she calmed down a little when she saw Clary.

"Emy. Hey, what's the matter?" She asked, as Emelie sniffled and whimpered. Clary could feel Jace lingering in the doorway and the vibes uncertainty coming off him.

"Nightmare mommy, nightmare!" She told her.

"Oh uh...I'm sorry, they're not very nice are they?" Clary said. She felt stupid afterward, of course they weren't nice, what kind of nightmare was nice?

"Daddy fell over again, he went to the clouds again." Emelie explained, wiping her tears on the back of her hand.

Clary shared a confused glance with Jace before turning her attention back to the snivelling, scruffy little redhead in Alec's old bed. Is that what happened in your nightmare?"

Emelie nodded, pouting weakly.

"Well, you're not going anywhere are you Jace?" She asked, and they both looked in his direction, expecting an answer.

"What? Oh! No, no I'm uh...right here." He said, and Clary felt somewhat relieved that he obviously hadn't a clue on what he was doing.

"Promise?" Emelie squeaked.

"Uh...yeah, I promise." He told her. And then she was gone from her bed and had her arms wrapped around Jace's legs. He looked to Clary for help.

"So...Emelie, would you like some breakfast or would you prefer to go back to sleep?" Clary asked, Emelie let go of Jace, still wiping her tearstained cheeks.

"Breakfast please." She answered, politely.

"Come on then." Clary smiled, taking the toddler's tiny hand in hers. She decided to just let her hair dry naturally and put it in a side braid while Emelie ate her Cheerios. Isabelle came down to long after, deciding that it was impossible to sleep and took Emelie to her room for a bath in which pink bath bombs had been promised. Izzy was surprised to be called 'aunt Isabelle' by Emelie, but it had been a pleasant surprise. Clary and Jace were left alone once again.

"What she said about you falling over and about the clouds." Clary began, tucking a strand of loose hair behind her ear. "You don't think...?"

"I died in the future? It looks that way, yes." Jace agreed. Clary's eyes dropped to the marble top of the counter then, and Jace's slid his arm across the table to take her hand and she looked at him. "But we're going to make sure that it doesn't happen , okay? None of what was in that newspaper article is going to happen, do you hear me Clary?"

"I hear you." She told him, yet she couldn't get rid of that single shard of doubt in her mind and Clary didn't think Jace was able to either.


	5. Investigation

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 **The Nowhere Child**

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Chapter Five: Investigation

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Maryse Lightwood shook her head with disbelief, chewing anxiously on the edge of her finger as she read through the newspaper clipping. She and Robert had roused and dressed later than usual after finding that a silencing rune had also managed to silence their alarm clock. She'd called her son to her office for an explanation when he'd interrupted her mid-way for something of apparent 'greater importance'. He now stood waiting before her with his arms crossed over his chest. Though he bore a seemingly calm expression, the thoughts whirling around his mind were far from calm, roaring around his head like a colony of angry bees.

"I don't believe this." Maryse spoke up, without taking her eyes off the words.

Jace was pulled from his reverie. She'd been silent for so long that he'd briefly forgotten why he was standing in her office, too busy brooding over what was in the article Maryse was staring at and the sudden arrival of his daughter.

"I know. We have got to make sure that this doesn't—"

"No, son. I mean I don't believe _this_." She explained with a sigh, removing her reading glasses. "I've often heard about a certain obsession the Fair Folk have regarding the likes of time-travel and seeing into the future but I never once believed in it."

"Mom, what we're dealing with here is huge. From what we've gathered, this war will be even more devastating than the Dark War five years ago. The Endarkened are involved!"

The word must've stung, and Jace felt guilty when he saw Maryse flinch. He knew Max had come to her mind. It'd been so long since his passing, but no doubt he'd left a hole in everyone's hearts, especially Maryse's who loved her children unconditionally.

Jace continued gently. "I'm sorry. It's true though. We didn't get that article from just anyone. Something happened last night and—"

"Daddy! Daddy!"

The overjoyed little voice rattled down the hallway, grabbing both Jace and Maryse's attention. Emelie burst into the room in faded old pyjamas. She looked like a whole new little girl, Jace blinked. She was hardly recognisable anymore without the blood and ash. Her face was clean, as fresh as a raindrop. And Jace could now see that she had a small brushing of red freckles scattered across her nose so faint that they were barely even there just like Clary had. Emelie's eyes were brighter too without tears of trauma glistening within them. Her eyes were the first thing Maryse noticed, and she found herself looking from her son to little Emelie in disbelief.

"Daddy! Aunt Izzy made my hair pretty!" She grinned. And she wasn't bluffing, Emelie's now shining locks of bright red hair had been pulled into a sweet halo braid atop her head, making her look truly like an angel. "Int' it pretty daddy?!"

"Yeah," Jace smiled, rubbing his neck nervously. "You look great, Emy."

Any of Jace's awkwardness went over Emelie's head, because she just giggled happily in reply. And then she did something both Jace and Maryse were not expecting. With a little gasp, Emelie ran over to Maryse sitting stunned at her desk. "Grandma?! You back from the clouds too?"

Maryse's eyes darted to Jace, unsure of how to answer this child's question as she sat rigid in her chair.

"Emelie!" Came Clary's voice as she rushed in after the little girl and set her hands on her shoulders. "I thought I told you not to disturb Jace and Maryse's meeting?"

"Mommy look, Grandma back from the clouds!" She exclaimed, and Clary wondered how long it'd been since she'd last seen Maryse in the seemingly different world she'd come from...or Jace for that matter. Had she witnessed their deaths? It wasn't a welcomed thought in her mind so Clary shook it off.

"Uh mom, this...this is Emelie Herondale. We found her in the library, we think she portalled there." Jace explained, trying his best to read her expression for any indication of what she was thinking. But she was Maryse Lightwood, she seldom showed emotion on her face.

Maryse leaned forward and to everyone's surprise, she touched Emelie's cheek affectionately, her mouth falling slightly into an 'o' shape. "S-she's...She's yours." There wasn't any doubt in her mind. "But..how?"

"We believe...We believe that she comes from about four years into the future."

Maryse said nothing for a while, keeping Clary and Jace in suspense before snatching up her phone. She waited for an answer but clicked her tongue when it went straight to voicemail. She bolted from her seat and stomped to the door. The light at the office's exit made her raven hair glistened while she walked as she muttered under her breath. "Get to Magnus and see what you can find out. I need to speak with Robert."

—

"I press it peas' daddy?"

Jace moved his finger away from the buzzer and looked down at Emelie. She was wearing the same clothes she'd arrived in at the institute, a simple white shirt with a green scarf, only they'd been since washed and dried. A smile graced his lips as he handed off the bloodied jacket he was holding to Clary and bent to lift the angelic little girl off the ground. "It's that one right there, press it hard."

Emelie grinned with pride when the buzz came, prompting an amused chuckle from Clary. Jace chortled gently as he placed the little girl down again.

As they awaited their entrance, Clary played with the hem of her beige pencil skirt and tugged at the collar of white blouse, she was nervous about what Magnus would tell them, she didn't know why exactly, but after reading that article; Clary wasn't sure she was ready for anything else that daunting.

Once granted entry, Clary led Emelie into the apartment by her hand. The interior had changed since she'd last visited as it always did, it was now a sort of shabby chique theme with its distressed tables and brick walls. Max was in the corner slapping his paint covered hands on the carpet as he recited his ABCs, starting again when he got to G. Alec was busy shooting arrows at a moving target board to notice his son's antics and Magnus was at the table in the open kitchen area, typing on a typewriter while surrounded by sheets of paperwork fit for a High Warlock.

"Hey Magnus." Clary greeted, as the typewriter he was using clicked. He returned the carriage and resumed his vigorous typing.

"Can't talk. In the zone." He told her.

Alec shot his last arrow before turning to Clary and Jace. "Hey guys, what's going on?"

"We need to have a chat." Jace told him.

Alec noticed the serious tone to his Parabatai's voice and furrowed his brow with dread. "What is it this time?"

"Where to start..." Jace laughed, sardonically.

"Hi uncle Alec!" Emelie waved.

Alec did a double take. He was too tall to have previously noticed the tiny girl on the end of Clary's hand. But once he'd seen her, Emelie's striking features hit him like a ton of bricks. "Who's this...?" He asked with uncertainty.

"Well, she's the reason we're here. This is our...daughter." Clary explained, and that unfamiliar feeling stirred within her gut again. "Her name is Emelie."

"We have reason to believe that she comes from four years into the future." Jace added.

The continuous typing sound stopped and they now had Magnus's full attention. "This just got interesting..." He chimed in, curiously.

Alec began to snigger. What are you on?" He asked and placed his quiver aside. "You guys came all of this way just to prank us? Please."

Magnus raised a finger from where he sat and said, "ah, I would not be so dismissive if I were you, Alexander. While time-travel is a rarity, it is not an unheard of practice." Said Magnus, he approached Emelie and bent slightly to take her face and turn it with his hand. "And when I say practice, I mean practice. Most people seldom have the tools required for such a task, and some people simply don't have enough intellect required to carry it out. Ah, I see it. She certainly has her father's eyes, and look at that hair! Brighter than a fire truck."

"You're kidding right?" Alec asked, he'd stopped his eye-rolling now and wore a somewhat serious expression.

"I'm not Alec. You don't see it? She really does have a striking resemblance between—"

"No," he tutted. "Not that. All of that stuff you said about time-travel?"

Magnus took a sharp intake of breath as he studied Emelie, he found what he'd been searching for. "Does this do well to answer your question?" He asked, pointing to the side of the child's neck. They all followed his finger but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Wha is it?" Jace asked, itching to know why the Warlock seemed so stunned.

"It's the mark. The famous mark you can only get if you have travelled through time. She has it. I've waited my whole life to see this mark. And here I am, and there it is. It's faint, but it is definitely there." He rose to his feet and said with a curious expression, "Heavens above, this _is_ a breakthrough. The last time I laid eyes on that mark was in the 18th century."

"You won't be this excited once you've seen this. Brace yourself..." Clary said, and she handed over the newspaper clipping.

"Well..haven't we got our work cut out for us..." He said once he'd read through it, swallowing thickly.

Magnus later carried out the DNA test on the bloodied leather jacked and found traces of both Jace's and Clary's blood, more so of Clary's than of Jace's. The discovery did not fail to unsettle the couple. Next he needed to take a sample of Emelie's blood too but the toddler wasn't up for it in the slightest.

"Ah, I have an idea! Do you think a lollipop would suffice as a reward?" Magnus suggested gently to the skeptical little girl as she sat on Clary's knee upon the smoke coloured couch. It knocked all of the worry from her face as she nodded her head vigorously at Magnus's office. He chuckled as he retrieved the last cherry flavoured lollipop from a jar on the counter of the kitchenette. "Children," he sighed, "they have all the willingness of Labradors." He gave the sticky treat to Emelie and magicked a fresh bunch into jar.

Emelie took the pin-prick to the finger like a champ, making Clary wish that a lollipop could take away all of the worries stuck in her head at the moment too. The test was simple. Firstly, Magnus took the sample of Jace's blood and dropped over it a substance that he'd done something to beforehand. Then he dipped a sterile needle head into Emelie's sample and poked it into the droplet. "It should turn blue in ten seconds."

"And if it doesn't?" Jace asked.

"If it doesn't Clary will have some explaining to do." He smirked. And for some reason Clary felt herself flushing.

The substance turned the confirming color blue both to Jace's relief and daunt. When it was Clary turn, the expected color was purple, to which it soon turned.

"Well then. I believe congratulations are in order, it's a girl." Magnus said, and he vanished away the whole station he'd been working at, leaving a just a cloud of smoke behind.

"Well now that you've got our your head round that side of the situation," Alec spoke up, "and trust me, it's gonna take a while for me to do the same. What about this war that is supposed to happen in four years? How will we know to do something?"

"I don't think we'll ever know, Alec. I don't even know how it's even possible, with Valentine dead, and Sebastian and Lilith..." Jace trailed off.

"Actually," Magnus added, "there is one way. You three really do know nothing don't you? There is always a way...unless you're a mundane but that's irrelevant in this case."

"All right then," Clary responded, tucking away a strand of Emelie's hair lest it got stuck to the candy. "How do we stop this war?"

Magnus flexed his hands and stretched to remove all the kinks in his muscles that'd happened while typing half the morning. "It all starts with an infamous Faerie named _Meliorn_..."

* * *

 **Review!**

 **Thank you for reading! I worked quite hard on this chapter so I'd appreciate your input :) every review counts!**

 **Next Chapter coming to your screen soon..**

 **-BlooTea**


	6. Riddles

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 **The Nowhere Child**

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Chapter Six: Riddles

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Moonlight streamed brightly through the trees and upon the lake in Central Park in which Clary, Jace, Alec and Magnus were standing. Clary yawned, battling with fatigue. She'd scarcely gotten enough sleep the other night having been woken by Emelie's night terrors. Though it'd been a whole week since her arrival, the trauma she had supposedly suffered did not rest with little Emelie. It'd been quite a scary experience for Clary to witness too. To see her looking so...helpless as she thrashed around on the covers, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. It'd been quite disturbing.

"Emy...Emelie! What is it? Are you all right!?" Clary had called out, her heart hammering in her chest as she burst into the room, groping for the light switch.

When light finally filled the room, she saw her. But although Emelie was calling out for Clary, she was fast asleep. Clary went to her quickly, dodging her kicking legs and flailing arms and pinning them to mattress as she yelled out her name in an attempt to bring her from her terrors. Clary was breathless by the time the little girl finally opened those golden eyes of hers.

"Mommy?" She'd cried, through a hoarse whisper. Eyes darting around the room.

Clary hadn't been sure what came over her then, but the next thing she knew, she had her terrified daughter bundled tightly in her arms. "Shhh," she'd told her, "you're all right, you're okay."

"Don' go 'way, peas don' go way again!" Emelie begged through hiccuping sobs.

She'd felt felt her throat tighten with emotion. "I'm not going anywhere."

Clary stayed with Emelie for the rest of the night. And when Jace woke up the following morning to an empty bed, he'd checked the room Emelie was occupying to find his girlfriend and daughter tangled up together in a deep sleep. He hadn't dared rouse them, so he'd stood there at the doorway for a few extra moments before going back to his room for a shower.

Clary and Emelie woke around an hour after Jace had showered and later went down to the training room where Clary settled Emelie on the sidelines with some toys and a colouring book of Max's to keep her occupied. The little girl had taken little interest in the toys though and preferred to sit there bemusedly as Isabelle, Clary and Jace prepared for the busy day ahead.

Now, as they stood by the lake late in the evening, Clary tried to concentrate on something Magnus was saying when she felt another yawn coming on. Jace noticed this and reached over to tuck a piece of stray hair behind her ear affectionately. He stepped forward to kiss her temple. "You've been like this all day, Clary. Are you sure you're feeling up to this?" He whispered in her ear.

"I'ts little late to say no!" She retorted, a little harshly than she intended.

She'd been feeling particularly irritable these past few days, and because of Jace mostly. Clary understood that his life had been changed dramatically too, but sometimes she felt like she was alone in this. He always seemed a little nervous and unsure around Emelie and it was always Clary who saw to their child's needs. It hadn't failed to add to the growing list of things Clary had to stress out about.

"Sorry." She apologized , closing her eyes for a brief moment.

Magnus cleared his throat awkwardly, "now that Clary and Jace have finished arguing, let's get a move on."

With that, he turned around and stepped backwards into the lake. Disappearing into the moon's reflection, the water pulled him under fluidly. Alec followed, and then Jace, who stared at Clary solemnly before the water swallowed him up. Clary sighed, before following after the guys. She hoped it wouldn't take too long to get Meliorn to agree to their request. The concept of being able to see what's to come felt a little overwhelming, but they needed make sure this second Endarkened war did not happen.

Now drenched in freezing lake water and feeling a little more awake, Clary felt her feet hit earth, rucking up a cloud of dirt. The impact stung the soles of her feet as she landed rather ungracefully. She remembered this corridor well from five years ago, the stoney walls were covered in moss. There was a curtain of vines at the very end of the corridor and roots from the trees above ground hung in tendrils above their heads. Clary felt something land in her hair, she groped for it but couldn't find it, prompting Jace to intervene.

"I don't need your help," she said suddenly, slapping his hand away and retrieving what turned out to be a wet leaf from her hair, "it's funny though how you only offer it when Emelie's not around, huh?"

"Clary what are you talking about? Why are you being so—?"

"Magnus Bane," called voice, it was Meliorn. He'd seemed to have just appeared before them as if out of thin air. He acknowledged Clary, Jace and Alec with a small nod. "Nephilim. And if it isn't my Isabelle's brother, how is she these days?"

Alec snorted, and Clary could tell he was struggling to not shoot a remark at the Faerie, "she's fine."

"It's good to see you, Meliorn," greeted Magnus, as politely as he could.

"Likewise. If you wish to speak to our Queen, I can tell you that she is not available at the moment," was the Faerie's reply.

"It is not the Queen we have come to consult, it is you." Magnus told him.

"Oh...well in that case, we will discuss your matter within my home."

Meliorn snapped his fingers, and Clary felt the ground fall from under her. Her heart lurched within her chest before all five of them were dropped on soft carpeting. They were now inside a house that smelled of rained on grass and pine cones, their hair and clothes suddenly dry again. The house had the same moss laced stone walls as the maze-like corridors at the entrance to the Faerie and most of the furniture was made from tree bark. The weirdest thing of all though had to be the highly confusing clock mounted just above the fireplace, it probably had about ten different hands. And if Clary's eye weren't playing tricks on her...why was everybody's hair standing on end like something out of a Frankenstein movie?

"Whoops, I don't know why that keeps happening. Hold onto your hats." Meliorn said, and everyone exchanged puzzled glances but before any questions could be asked, the room tipped over; sending everyone but Meliorn—who hovered in mid air—tumbling. Clary hissed in pain, landing awkwardly on her arm when finally the house turned itself the right way around. Everyone climbed to their feet around her while she remained on the floor, cradling her arm.

"What the hell, man?!" Jace asked, shooting Meliorn an unappreciative look as he knelt beside her to look at her injured arm, it didn't seem broken; most likely just a sprain.

Meliorn chuckled as he lowered himself back to the floor unscathed, "I am not to blame of your girlfriend's clumsiness."

"You tipped the house over!"

"Sorry, did you prefer it upside down? I can turn it back if you want."

"That's quite all right." Magnus said quickly, recovering from the vertigo. Jace fussed over Clary, to her annoyance and helped her to her feet. Under close inspection, her arm didn't look broken.

"So what it is you want so badly that you had to infiltrate the Faerie again, are we forgetting about the Cold Peace? I wonder what your precious little clave would say if they find out you've been here." Meliorn asked.

"Let us worry about that." Alec told him.

Meliorn rolled his eyes and poured himself a colourful beverage from the teapot on the table. "I warn you, Shadowhunters. You have five minutes of my time and nothing more."

He ushered them around the table and even offered them a drink which each of them obviously declined. This time, Clary stayed clear of the tiny nixies fluttering around the room, they were always up to mischief.

"What is your request?" Meliorn asked, placing his teacup down.

Clary didn't like to be back in the Faerie again, it made her feel uneasy and brought back unwelcome memories. She found the it hard to look at Meliorn also. He was the guy who'd formed and alliance with her brother, who'd been entrusted with the power of being part of the council only to throw it back into everyone's faces. She knew he was a traitor, but she also knew that she would need all the help she could get. And Meliorn probably didn't have much to do these days after having been stripped of his lying abilities and bound to the land of the fey for eternity, it didn't make her feel better but it still helped a little.

"I have reason to believe you have access to a time portal, is that correct?" Magnus questioned, curiously.

Magnus had explained previously that there were a series of portals dotted around the world that mostly Faeries had access to. They were intricate tools for seeing into the past and the future and were accessible to mostly the highborn of Faeries and incredibly difficult to get ahold of.

Meliorn raised a bushy eyebrow as he leaned back in his seat. He flicked a nixie away from his ear and it let out a mini squeal. "And may I ask why you're interested?"

"It's does not matter to you—"

"You're right Warlock, how silly of me to ask when I already know the answer. We just can't help ourselves, us fey." Meliorn smirked, with an eerie glint in his eye that had Clary feeling a little uneasy.

The group were stunned.

"Oh please, I am a Faerie, what did you expect? I may be a prisoner in my own homeland, however that does not mean I am shut out from the rest of the Shadow World. How are you coping with your new arrival, Clarissa and Jonathan?" Meliorn asked. Clary blinked, lost for words and Jace shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

"Just cut to the chase, Meliorn. We're not getting any younger. Can you get us to one of these time portals or not?" Alec questioned.

Meliorn guffawed heartily. "You amuse me, Lightwood. But yes, to answer your question. I am willing to lead you to a time portal." He told them.

"All right, so where can we find it?" Asked Jace.

"It will not be that simple."

Magnus shook his head. "That's what I was afraid of..."

"The instructions to its whereabouts will be told in a form of a riddle. Listen hard and listen well because you will be transported from the Faerie the moment my words leave my lips." Meliorn cleared his throat. "Though eyes it has, they have no sight. It cannot be seen in dark of night. If it moves left, then you move right. You'll find it where the birds take flight."

With a final clap of his hands, the group were thrown from their seats and were soon splashing their way out of the murky lake in Central Park, the moon was barely visible now over the inky clouds that obscured it. Clary was hanging onto the riddle in her head lest she forgot it, Meliorn's voice played over and over again in her head like a broken record.

 _Though eyes it has, they have no sight. It cannot be seen in dark of night. If it moves left, then you move right. You'll find it where the birds take flight..._


End file.
